University of Alabama at Birmingham
Music students won top awards at the Alabama Chapter of The National Association of Teachers of Singing student auditions. students pursuing degrees in art and art history, communication studies, music, and theater in the College of Arts and Sciences won top awards at state and regional competitions in February.
Department of Theatre
Students in the UAB Department of Theatre competed in the Region IV American College Theatre Festival held in Montgomery, Alabama, from Feb. 3-7. The ACTF Region IV division includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, the United States Virgin Islands and Virginia.
Junior Lauren Parrish of Bessemer, Alabama, received recognition at ACTF for her dramaturgical work on the 10-minute play festival. Parrish was the regional runner-up in dramaturgy for the casebook work she did on Theatre UAB’s 2025 production of “The Revolutionists.”
Sophomore Bella Newton of Birmingham, Alabama, won in the Playwriting category for her play “Little Stars Everywhere.”
Cade McCall of Headland, Alabama, who graduated in December 2025, won the Southeastern Theatre Conference David Weiss Award Regional First Place in the Costume Design category, and was named Region IV National Runner Up for his costume design for “The Revolutionists.”
“Join me in celebrating two Blazers who won big at ACTF,” Department of Theatre Chair Megan Lewis, Ph.D., wrote. “They’re going to nationals!”
The ACTF honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition with awards and scholarships. Through state, regional and national festivals, ACTF participants celebrate the creative process, see one another's work and share experiences and insights within the community of theater artists. The ACTF honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing and design.
Department of Music
Voice students in the UAB Department of Music were recognized for their successes in the Alabama Chapter of The National Association of Teachers of Singing student auditions.
Over two days Feb. 19-21, students competed at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Participants must go through a multi-stage process involving a preliminary performance round for three judges and a finalist concert in which contestants sing one piece and all ALANATS members vote on the final rankings.
Theatre UAB's "The Revolutionists," photo credit Taylor CampbellJunior Camren Hubbard of Decatur, Alabama, student of Meg Jackson, Ph.D., D.M., won first place in the Third Year College TBB Classical division. This is the third year in a row Hubbard garnered first place honors in his category, Jackson says.
Junior Abby Sandlin of Decatur, Alabama, student of Lara Wilson, DMA, won second place in the Third Year Treble Musical Theatre division and fifth place in the Third Year Treble Classical division.
Senior Sophie Grace Bell of St. Petersburg, Florida, who studies with Wilson and studied the previous two years with Won Cho, DMA, won second place in the Fourth Year Treble Musical Theatre division.
Sophomore Monica Velma of Wetumpka, Alabama, who studies with Patrick Evans, D.M., won first place in the First Year Treble Musical Theatre and second place in the First Year Treble Classical.
Sophomore Brennen Foy of Gardendale, Alabama, who also studies with Evans, tied for first place in the Second Year College TBB Musical Theatre division and second place in Second Year College TBB Classical division.
Hubbard and Sandlin are music majors in the Bachelor of Arts program, and Bell, Velma and Foy are BFA Musical Theatre majors in the Department of Theatre. Hubbard, Sandlin, Velma and Foy have all performed in UAB Operaproductions.
“Congratulations to the students for so much wonderful singing, and to their teachers for their guidance and mentorship,” said Evans, chair of the UAB Department of Music.
Department of Communication Studies
Two students, Kendall Wakefield and Peyton Siegel, have earned a top award from the Festival of Media Arts, an annual national college media competition from the Broadcast Education Association.
The pair won the prestigious Award of Excellence for the Audio Comedy/Drama category, elevating UAB’s Department of Communication Studies on a national stage.
Their winning work is a pilot episode for an audio series the students developed in the Audio Production class. “Project Eden: After the Flood” is set in 2040, when a failed government experiment has turned Earth’s water deadly. A surviving scientist creates a water replacement. But when he merges it with an AI he built with his dead wife’s brain scans, his creation becomes unstable and defiant. Trapped together, both must choose whether they can live without the substance that sustains them. Base artwork for the project was illustrated by UAB student and UABtv member Lila Scarbrough.
Siegel, of San Antonio, Texas, is a musical theater major expected to graduate in May 2027 who has been involved in several student productions at UAB.
Wakefield, of Winfield, Alabama, will graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing and media. Wakefield also studies filmmaking under Associate Professor and Director of Broadcasting Alan Franks and Associate Professor and Director of Media Studies Michele Forman in the Department of History. As head of UABtv, UAB Student Media’s entirely student-run production company, Wakefield produces podcasts, short films and more.
This is a well-deserved award that showcases the talent in our college alongside many high-caliber media programs across the country, Franks says.
“Media Arts bridge a number of creative and technical fields, so I love to see students from different majors working together in our media courses to demonstrate how the strengths of their disciplines shine through collaborative media projects,” Franks said.
Department of Art and Art History
The American Advertising Federation of Birmingham awarded top prizes to seven students in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Art History.
The American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards are the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting more than 40,000 entries nationally every year in local AAF Club competitions. The mission of the American Advertising Awards competition is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.
The 2026 AAF Birmingham ADDY Awards were held Feb. 20 at The Club Ballroom.
Mia Stowe of Alabaster, Alabama, was awarded three ADDYs: Best of Show in the Student Division for her “Bedtime” Light Pollution poster, one Gold for her “Bedtime” Light Pollution Poster in the Poster - Single category, and one Silver for her Nosferatu Editorial Spreads in the Magazine Advertising - Campaign category. Stowe will graduate May 2 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art, having concentrated study in graphic design, with a minor in English literature.
Ellie Usdan of Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded a Gold Student ADDY in the Brand Identity Campaign category for her Ever Green Goods design. She also received a Silver Student ADDY in the Poster Campaign category for her Color Your Horizons series. A member of the UAB Honors College, Usdan will graduate May 2 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a focus of study in graphic design and a minor in creative writing.
Natalie Nguyen of Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded a Silver Student ADDY in the Outdoor and Transit Advertising category for Baseball’s Biggest Distraction billboard. Nguyen is earning a degree in computer science with a minor in art and will graduate May 2.
Klarke Campbell of Hoover, Alabama, was awarded a Silver Student ADDY in the Out of Home & Ambient Media category for her project, Holbein Acrylics Advertising Campaign. Campbell will graduate May 1 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art with a focus in graphic and digital design and a minor in biology.
Angelina Robinson of Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded a Silver Student ADDY in the Cover/Editorial Spread or Feature - Series category. Robinson, in the UAB Honors College Personalized Path, will graduate in December with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with a focus in graphic design and photography.
Aliyah Harris was awarded a Silver Student ADDY in the Packaging category for a design of Yogi Tea’s Sweet Tangerine tea. Her work is inspired by the American graphic designer Saul Bass. Harris is an art major with a concentration in graphic design and will graduate in December.
Valeria Gutierrez is a Birmingham-based graphic designer originally from Laredo, Texas. She received a Gold ADDY Award in the Packaging category for her project, Talavera Spirits. The award-winning design features bold, vibrant colors and intricate patterns inspired by traditional Mexican Talavera tilework, celebrating her cultural heritage through contemporary and vibrant packaging.